AI: "Queen Cleopatra" Was Not Black, Not White Too

Wide controversy in Egypt after a platform announced a documentary series about Queen Cleopatra, the Pharaonic queen of Egypt, after casting a black actress to play the role. The promotional announcement broadcasted by Netflix sparked widespread anger in Egypt, where the actress said: "I remember my grandmother telling me: I don't care what they say to you at school... Cleopatra was black!".

Egyptians say that the platform is seeking to falsify their country's ancient history and claim that Africans built that civilization, especially since the ancient Egyptians were not dark-skinned at all.
Was Cleopatra black? 

We used, At "Al-Dustour," the latest Artificial Intelligence «AI» tools, three tools, to find out what would be said about the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, and through it, we found a part of the information available, and we will show it to you.

SAGA

Q: Who is Cleopatra?
A: Cleopatra was a queen of ancient Egypt famous for her beauty, intelligence, and relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She was born in 69 BC and ruled Egypt from 51 BC until she died in 30 BC. Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. She is known for her political savvy, skill in languages, and patronage of the arts. Cleopatra's reign was marked by conflict with the Roman Empire, and her alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony ultimately led to her downfall.

Q: Was Cleopatra white skin or black?
A: Cleopatra was of Greek and Macedonian descent, as she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. It is unclear what her exact skin color was, but it is believed that she would have had a Mediterranean complexion, typically olive or tan. There is no evidence to suggest that she was black or of sub-Saharan African descent.

Q: was Cleopatra from white people or black people?
A: As I mentioned earlier, Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek-Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. While some members of the Ptolemaic dynasty may have had intermarriages with Egyptians, it is generally believed that they were of Greek and Macedonian descent and not of sub-Saharan African descent. Therefore, Cleopatra was not black but of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern ancestry.

Q: Is there evidence that Cleopatra was black?
A: No historical evidence suggests Cleopatra was black or of sub-Saharan African descent. As I mentioned earlier, Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek-Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. While some members of the Ptolemaic dynasty may have had intermarriages with Egyptians, there is no evidence that Cleopatra herself was of African descent. Ancient sources describe her as having a Mediterranean complexion, typically olive or tan. The idea that Cleopatra was black is a modern myth with no historical basis.

Q: Is there evidence that Cleopatra was white?
Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek-Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. While it is challenging to determine Cleopatra's exact skin color, it is generally believed that she would have had a Mediterranean complexion, typically olive or tan. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she would have been of Greek and Macedonian descent, and her family likely would have intermarried with other ruling class members. However, it is essential to note that skin color is not a reliable indicator of ethnicity or cultural identity and that ancient Egyptian society was much more diverse and complex than simple racial categories can capture.

ChatGPT

Q: Who is Cleopatra? Was she white skin or black?
A: Cleopatra was an ancient Egyptian queen who ruled from 51 BC until she died in 30 BC. She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was of Greek origin and ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. 
Cleopatra's ethnicity is a matter of debate among historians. While she was born in Egypt, she was of Greek descent and likely had some Persian and Syrian ancestry. It is generally believed that she had a light skin tone, considered desirable in ancient Egyptian culture. However, it's important to note that skin color is not a reliable indicator of ethnicity. Evidence suggests that ancient Egyptians were diverse people with various skin tones.

Q: was Cleopatra from white people or black people?
A: As I mentioned earlier, Cleopatra was of Greek descent and likely had some Persian and Syrian ancestry. While she was born in Egypt, it's important to note that ancient Egypt was a multicultural society with people of various ethnicities and skin tones. Therefore, it is inaccurate to classify Cleopatra as "white" or "black" based on current racial categories. It's important to remember that the concept of race as we understand it today did not exist in ancient times, and trying to apply modern racial categories to historical figures can be misleading.

Q: Is there evidence that Cleopatra was black?
A: There is no reliable historical evidence to suggest that Cleopatra was black. While ancient Egypt was a multicultural society where people of various ethnicities and skin tones lived, Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Greek origin. She was born in Egypt, but her family ruled the country for several generations and intermarried with other Greeks and Macedonians. It's also worth noting that the concept of "blackness" as a distinct racial category did not exist in ancient times. Skin color was not the primary way people were categorized or identified. Instead, people were identified by their ethnicity, language, and culture. Therefore, describing Cleopatra as "black" is inaccurate based on current racial categories.

Q: Is there evidence that Cleopatra was white?
A: Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Greek origin. While she was born in Egypt and may have adopted some aspects of Egyptian culture, she and her family were of Greek descent and likely had a light skin tone. 
However, it's important to remember that "whiteness" as a distinct racial category did not exist in ancient times. The ancient Greeks did not have a rigid concept of race or skin color; they interacted with people of various ethnicities and skin tones. Therefore, it's not entirely accurate to describe Cleopatra as "white" based on current racial categories, as those categories did not exist during her time. Instead, it's more accurate to say she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Greek origin and ruled over Egypt for several generations.

Claude

Q: Was Cleopatra Black?
A: To summarize, there is no definitive evidence that Cleopatra was entirely "black" in her race or appearance. Most historians and experts agree on the following points:

• Ancient Egyptians, including Cleopatra, likely had a light brown to dark brown skin tone, similar to modern North Africans and others in the region today. They were not sub-Saharan Africans.
• Cleopatra's ancestry included a mix of Greek, Macedonian, and North African lineages. She was descended from one of Alexander, the Great's generals, so she had Greek roots but ruled Egypt for over 20 years and spoke Egyptian, so she was undoubtedly culturally Egyptian.
• Artistic depictions of Cleopatra from Roman times show her exaggeratedly Caucasoid features, indicating she was portrayed as exotic. But this likely did not reflect her natural physical appearance and was meant more as propaganda.
• Ancient writers referred to Cleopatra as "Macedonian", "Hellene" (Greek), and "Egyptian" but did not describe her in a way that indicates explicitly she was notably "black" or "white." She seems to have embodied the mixing of cultures in the region.
• Genetic evidence suggests ancient Egyptians were most closely related to other populations in the Horn of Africa and Nile Valley, not sub-Saharan Africans or Europeans. So Cleopatra likely had a Mediterranean complexion.
• Claims that Cleopatra was racially "black" are inaccurate and not supported by evidence. At most, she may have had a darker complexion than often depicted but was probably still distinctively "Egyptian" and Mediterranean rather than distinctly "black."

So, in conclusion, while Cleopatra probably did not look as Eurocentric as she is often portrayed, there is no evidence she was substantially "black" either. Her racial and ethnic background was undoubtedly mixed, as was typical of the region. She was an Egyptian queen of mixed Greek-Macedonian, North African, and Egyptian descent. "Black" is an oversimplification and not supported by historical facts.

Q: Was Cleopatra white?
No, there is no evidence that Cleopatra was "white" in her race or appearance. Some critical points against portraying her as white: (showed same issues above)

Q: was Cleopatra a mixed Mediterranean complexion?
A: There is substantial evidence that Cleopatra likely had a mixed Mediterranean complexion: Cleopatra had a mixed Greek-Macedonian and North African ancestry. Her family, the Ptolemies, were descended from one of Alexander, the Great's generals, giving her Greek roots. But she was born in Egypt, spoke Egyptian, and ruled Egypt for over 20 years, so she was also distinctly Egyptian. She embodied this mix of cultures.

Q: was Cleopatra a black African?
A: No, there is no evidence that Cleopatra was a "black African" or sub-Saharan African.